Build Your Village: A Guide to Finding Joy and Community in Every Stage of Life

by Florence Ann Romano

In this easy-to-read self-help manual sprinkled with relatable stories, Florence Ann Romano introduces the six roles commonly found in villages and provides a roadmap to help the reader build their own support systems.

Everyone has heard the phrase, “It takes a village,” but how exactly do we find our village? Who is in it and what does it look like? Rethinking the relationships in your life, you may realize that even if you have a calendar filled with social plans, you still might not have your “village.”

In Build Your Village , philanthropist and businesswoman Florence Ann Romano answers these questions and more, helping you to build lasting relationships with those in your life, dispel isolation, and improve your overall happiness and health. Each chapter helps you to foster the villager qualities within yourself and to find others who display these qualities. From identifying the six types of villagers needed to complete a fully functional village to what to do when you’ve lost your community, this book serves as a step-by step guide complete with quizzes, gut-check questions, and action steps as you learn the importance of support systems as well as how to nurture them and find meaningful connections.

Your village is waiting. Now it’s time to go and find it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help

192 pages, Paperback

Published February 21, 2023

About the author

Florence Ann Romano is a childcare and village advocate, author, and philanthropist who has always had a special place in her heart for children. She worked as a childcare provider for over 15 years. She has been featured on over 500 national and local media outlets across the country, including ABC/CBS/ NBC and FOX TV affiliates, Home & Family, The Jenny McCarthy Show, SiriusXM, and more. Born and raised just outside of Chicago, Florence Ann earned a degree in performance theatre at Bradley University in Peoria, IL. She has served as President and Founder of a non-profit board dedicated to autism awareness and now serves on the Executive Board of the Children's Research Fund (CRF) at Lurie's Children Hospital and is a founding member of Sesame Streets Leadership Council.

Reviews

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave so much food for thought, it was well constructed and I really loved the questions and the gut checks. You could use this book repeatedly and go back to reassess and evaluate where you are at, at that point of time.
I adore the whole notion of building a village and it was great to hear real world examples from the author. I will definitely call upon this book again in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

[Lauren Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read this book on a whim and so glad I did. Build Your Village is a book full of insight about the importance of building a strong support system of friends and family. The author argues that everyone needs a "village" of people who can offer them love, support, and guidance throughout their lives. Sure you likely knew that already but as a trainee counsellor I find that many people aren't active in or know how to build and nurture the village they need. Some don't have one at all for many reasons. This can leave many in a position where they struggle without that support or think there's something wrong with them. The book's exercises were helpful, providing readers with tools to help them identify the people who are already in their village, as well as how to find new people to add to their village. It gave me a chance to reflect on my own relationships, identify areas where I could improve and to realise how important community is to me as a core value.

I loved the book's conversational style. It's full of personal stories and examples which make it really relatable. Romano's writing is engaging and she does a great job of making the reader feel like they are part of the conversation. I appreciated the way that Romano talked about the importance of reciprocity in relationships. She stressed that it is important to give as much as we receive, and that we should be mindful of the needs of our friends and family. She describes the different types of people who might be part of our village, identifying six different roles that people can play in our lives.

Build Your Village is a valuable resource for anyone who is looking to build a stronger support system. The book is well-written, engaging and full of helpful tips and advice. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for ways to connect with others and build stronger relationships and it is a book that I will definitely refer to again in the future.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great book! I live in a rural area and am not a lot like the others in our little town. I have been longing for more community for a while now and this book really gave me actionable steps to build more of one. I love that she focuses first on how we can be “villagers” for others — how can we use our strengths to build relationships and be there for others.

She talks about the 6 types of villagers we all need and they are so true. We need the cheerleading type who motivates us and convinces us we can make it, but we also need the organizer type who can arrange a meal train when you end up on bed rest and the nearby villager who may not be a best friend but is close if something happens. It helped me remember what I can do for my neighbors and that even though I’ll never be the type to throw a fancy party I am the type to send texts reminding you how awesome you are and to take your kids for three days while your dad is in hospice.

I have all kinds of ideas now and am excited to further build my village. Highly recommended.

I read a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

[MookNana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intentionally building a support network is not a topic often discussed, so this is a very helpful resource! I was a little concerned at first that the focus would be more on taking and getting from social relationships, but the author was very careful to illustrate the reciprocity needed in having a village and being a good villager. There is a lot of great food for thought here. It is full of interesting stories, and chapters include questions, gut checks, and action steps, but there is a lot of unbroken text. It may be rest read in small chunks to really process fully and absorb the most out of the message.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book on how to build a community that I thought was well-written and utilized the "village" example throughout. I liked the gut checks and action items at the end of each chapter that gave good steps and actions for building your own village.

[ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty simple and has some obvious stuff, but I still found it helpful in some regards and probably very useful for someone who isn't sure how to start "building their village."